Braving all odds, CSMC removed 180 encroachments in Harsul

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

A housing project under the Prime Minister's Awas Yojana (PMAY) is going to be constructed at Gut Nos. 216 and 217 in the Harsul area. However, this land had been encroached upon by citizens for many years. On Monday, despite the police security being withdrawn, the municipal corporation began the demolition drive. Initially, the citizens strongly opposed the campaign, showering officials with harsh words. However, disregarding all the opposition, the civic officials successfully demolished a total of 180 encroachments.

The issue of removing encroachments on the land designated for the PMAY had been a matter of controversy for the past year. However, the municipal corporation's anti-encroachment department had not found time to take action. On several occasions, the demolition campaign had to be cancelled due to the lack of police security. Just four days ago, the municipal corporation had issued a warning to the encroachers, advising them to remove their encroachments voluntarily.

On Monday (March 24), at 10 am, the civic team arrived at the site despite the absence of police security. Upon seeing the team, the citizens began protesting loudly. The citizens charged the municipal officers and staff. The officials attempted to calm the citizens several times, but realizing that the citizens were not willing to listen, the authorities decided to take action. A total of 180 small and large encroachments having tin sheds were demolished with the help of a JCB machine.

150-strong force

Due to the lack of police security, the municipal corporation deployed 150 staff members, including personnel from the Magari Mitra Pathak, sanitary inspectors, fire department personnel, and health department ambulance staff. The demolition campaign, which began at 10.30 am, was completed by 2.30 pm.

No documents available

Citizens had encroached on government land for many years, but they had no documents to prove ownership of the land. However, they had been provided with various amenities such as Aadhar Cards, Election Cards, and Electricity Meters.

More permanent structures

In the action taken on Monday, encroachments in Gut No. 216 were addressed. Sources from the municipal corporation mentioned that some permanent encroachments in Gut No. 217 are yet to be removed.

Most of the citizens had electricity meters installed. In some houses, electricity was being supplied through underground cables. Seeing this, even municipal staff were surprised.

The citizens whose encroachments were removed today mentioned that they had been living in the area for 20 to 25 years.